Tick borne related infections, including Lyme disease, have become common across the United States. Lyme disease may start as a mild illness that begins 3 to 30 days after a tick bite and might easily be mistaken for other common illnesses like a cold or flu. Signs and symptoms also can include a red, painless rash that may spread over time. If Lyme disease is not treated, it might develop into more severe health problems.

Although most people who are treated with a short round of antibiotics improve, there is a subset of people who continue to have chronic symptoms that are sometimes severe and debilitating. These symptoms are not specific and affect many different systems in the body, making the diagnosis challenging and confusing. Once someone is accurately diagnosed with Lyme disease, there are various treatment options.

At Naturopathic Integrative Medical Clinic of Santa Rosa, we seek to find what each person needs individually. There is usually an underlying reason why the immune system has not been able to clear the infection, leading to chronic inflammation and pain. It is important to investigate underlying causes of immune dysfunction, such as the microbiome, hormonal imbalances, toxins, and pay attention to sleep patterns, diet, and nutrition. We may choose to treat a patient’s Lyme disease with repeated doses of antibiotics, herbs, or with novel therapies that modulate the immune system, such as ozone and detoxification strategies.

With the combination of a proper diet, nutritional supplementation, herbal support and appropriate use of antibiotics, chronic symptoms can eventually reduce in intensity and normal life can be restored.